Mechanical supports are used in a variety of applications to provide mechanical support to a member. For example, musicians of stringed instruments such as guitars often find it desirable to utilize an instrument stand to temporarily support an instrument when the instrument is not in use. This safeguards the instrument during a break, yet allows ready access to the instrument when needed again. An instrument stand further generally eliminates the need to retrieve the instrument from an instrument case during such interludes.
While a variety of mechanical supports have been proposed in the art, there remains a continual need for improved designs that are sturdy, lightweight and portable. It is to these and other improvements that preferred embodiments of the present invention are generally directed.